Became a Novice in 1971 and Extra Class in 1975. My QTH station consists of a Force 12 C3 beam up about 60 feet and using inverted V wire antennas for 40 and 80 meters. Xcvr is a FT-920 with Alpha 78 amp.

Actively participate in the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program. SOTA is a fun program for Hams that combines outdoor exercise and activity while allowing you to build up "points" as a reward for the accomplishments.

I have contacted hams on summits around the world called "SOTA Chasing" since January 2, 2014. Reached 10,001 Chaser points on December 4, 2015 to become a "Super Sloth" chaser! Reached 20,000 chaser points on February 25, 2017.

Starting on April 29, 2014, I have hiked to (a few times almost drove to) and operated from, called "Activating", SOTA designated hills and mountains using my battery powered KX2, FT-817ND and/or MFJ9200 XCVRs with 10 watts or less of power.

On June 12, 2017, I reached 1000 Activator points on Mt. Washington, NH (the highest summit in the Northeast USA) to become a "Mountain Goat"! Hiked June 11 to June 16, 2017 to summits on the Appalachian Trail and other trails across the Presidential Range in New Hampshire including Mt. Jackson, Mt. Pierce, Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Monroe, Mt. Jefferson (SOTA), Mt. Adams (SOTA) and Mt Madison. Then continued on to activate Wildcat Mountain (SOTA). Stayed overnight at four AMC Huts and Joe Dodge Lodge. A great hike I recommend to other SOTA operators.

Mountain Goat Award North America #48 June 12, 2017

Other SOTA Awards below:

Some activations of White Mountains New Hampshire and Maine summits are pictured below with summit name and SOTA reference. Also activated many summits along Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Mt Moosilauke, New Hampshire W1/HA-003 December 2, 2017. Great views on this hike. Third time activating this 4802 foot mountain in the White Mountains. Glencliff Trail(AT) to summit elevation gain is 3300 feet. Microspikes worked well on the snow and ice covered trail. Good temps in 20 to 30F with little wind today at summit. (Pictures Below)

AC1Z - Activation of W1/HA-046 Mt. Hancock, New Hampshire USA October 19, 2017Elevation: 4420ft, Elevation Gain from Trailhead: 2400ft, Total Miles Hiked: 9.5Operated in open area next to lookout.Great day for S2S contacts! Made 11 Summit to Summits including 1 DX with OK1CZ/P. Challenging hike steep for about 1 mile from summit on the Hancock Loop Trail. Set up at lookout on summit with great views. Overnight in tent at National Forest Hancock Campground off Kancamangus Highway near Lincoln, NH. Sunset view near campground was great too! (Pictures below)

AC1Z - Activation of W1/HA-033 Mt. Tripyramid North, New Hampshire on October 20, 2017Elevation: 4180ft, Elevation Gain from Trailhead: 2850ft, Total Miles Hiked: 9Great weather for hiking! Another challenging hike again it is steep about a mile from summit on Pine Bend Brook Trail. On hands and knees over ledge, rocks and roots. Summit has view at lookout but little room to set up. (Pictures below bottom right)

W1/HA-006 Kinsman South Peak, NH October 2, 2017 - Hiked 9.5 miles on Fishin Jimmy and Lonesome Lake trails on backpacking trip activating Kinsman South Peak in the White Mountains of New Hampshire USA. Great weather for tenting overnight at the Kinsman Pond tentsight! (picture below)

W1/HA-159 Mt. Weeks October 3, 2017 (1st Activation) (left) W1/HA-164 Mt. Terrace October 4, 2017 (right) - After the Kinsman activation above, I hiked about 18 miles total on backpacking trip activating Mt. Weeks (Initial Activation) and Terrace Mtn in the Great North Woods of New Hampshire USA York Pond and Kilkenny Ridge trails. Great weather for tenting overnight next to trail! Only met one other hiker in the North Woods so experienced the solitude of the forest. (pictures below)

W1/AM-011 East Peak on Baldpate Mtn. Maine July 7, 2017 Elevation: 3790Ft, Miles Hiked: 4.0 Miles Elevation Gain: About 2000Ft

Hiked a section of the AT and Grafton Loop Trail in Grafton Notch State Park in Maine. Initial Activation of this Summit. Great views for about a mile from West to East Peak Baldpate. East Peak is a open ledge summit with some small trees. Used the fish pole and trees to tie off the inverted vee antenna.

W1/HA-012 Mt. Cardigan, NH January 20, 2017(Below)

W1/NL-010 Parker Mtn, NH February 2, 2017

HA-049 Mt. Israel, NH February 6, 2017

Camped at Deer Farm Campground Kingfield, Me. - Day hikes on 9-15-16 and 9-17-16. Abraham and Sugarloaf Mtns. offerd great 360 degree views Spaulding Mtn. has a good place to set up but only a partial view.

This was a moderate hike on a perfect weather day. Started at about 8:30AM with temperature about 32 degrees F and ended the hike at about 2PM with temps in the 70's! There were views on the trail but no view at Mt. Hale summit. Set up FT-817 next to large cairn. Used microspikes for about .3 miles on descent since ice is still on the trail.

Overnight in the Pemigewasset Wilderness April 29 to 30, 2016. Great weather clear sky and temperature in 50's F during the day and about 30F overnight. No cell Phone or text service. Used 5 watt cw only rig. Did manage to get out an SMS spot from Mt. Nancy. DX contact with OE/HB9FVF/P. Wet, icy, snowy rugged trails. Not maintained to Nancy Summit. The cascades, ponds, brooks and Nancy summit were worth the trip on these rugged trails. The Nancy summit had a great 160 degree view including Mt. Washington.

W1/HA-003 Mt. Moosilauke, NH March 8, 2016

Elevation:4802Ft, Miles Hiked: 8.1 Elevation Gain: 3300Ft

It was a beautiful day with warm temps and not much wind. Visibility was good with some clouds. The area had about 2 to 3 inches of new snow the night before which made the trail more difficult since the snow hid lots of hard ice. I hiked this trail on June 4, 2015 and my memory thought it was a moderate hike for being the 10th highest peak in NH at 4802 foot. The hike turned out to be one of the most difficult and challenging I have been on. The summit was much colder than below with gusty wind but was not too bad for setting up and operating. Snow kept building up on microspikes making them less effective, especially on the descent when temps made the snow very sticky. I fell a couple of times but didn't do any damage.